Sealed Mates

Chapter 8

My stomach turned as I stepped into the room, my head spinning so bad I felt like I was going to pass out. Nothing I did stopped the world from spinning around me, and I had to stop after a step to keep from falling flat on my face, swallowing to try and help my stomach to settle.

“Get up here!” Alpha Black growled, and I jumped, sending pain slicing through my head once again, and starting to move my feet.

I don’t know how I got to the front of the room, all I knew was I was there, my eyes glued to the floor for fear of angering anyone else. Also, in the hopes that looking only at the ground would help steady me.

It didn’t work.

I felt eyes on my soon-to-be husband growled something at my brother that caused him to start the ceremony. I couldn’t concentrate on the words, and I found myself looking for who was watching me so intently. A large werewolf standing beside the Alpha seemed to be staring directly into my soul. From the size of him, I would guess he was an enforcer, but I doubted I would ever actually learn who he was.

I didn’t know exactly why my brother had insisted on this marriage, but it was obvious Alpha Black was fully intending to follow his advice and send me back here when all was said and done. I wouldn’t guess he would take the time to introduce me to people I wouldn’t have the chance to get to know. Especially when he figured out there would be no pup.

So, I dropped my eyes back to the floor, trying to calm the shaking of my hands, and desperately attempting to follow along with the ceremony to know when it was my turn to speak. But, it wasn’t until Alpha Black said his vows that I realized they had gotten to that part.

At my turn, I tried to say the words, but it felt like my breathing wasn’t right, and the words didn’t come out the way I wanted them to. Of course, Tina immediately mocked me.

“You can’t be a mouse and married to an Alpha, Kiera. Speak up.” She snickered at her own joke, and I clenched my hands together, trying to keep them from shaking even harder.

I took a deep breath, cleared my throat, and tried again. This time, I managed to get the words out at a volume that could be barely heard, but still audible. Even that, though, made my stomach turn all the harder, and my head pound with a relentlessness that made me think I would never be without that pain ever again in my life.

It took so long to recover from talking, I didn’t even realize the ceremony was over until my new husband grabbed me by the arm and started to march me out of the room.

My knees nearly buckled under me at the swift movement, and I tried to close my eyes, but that only made it worse, with me tripping over something I couldn’t see. My new husband let out a loud curse.

“How useless are you?” He said as he glowered down at me on the floor, where I had landed.

“I’ll help her,” the enforcer said, stepping forward. “I’ll get her on her horse. You don’t want to have to take care of it.”

Alpha Black stared at his enforcer, then gave a stiff nod and whirled around, stomping away with enough noise for me to know it was on purpose. Werewolves didn’t make that much noise just from walking.

I shook as I tried to push myself to my feet, but only made it with the help of the enforcer.

“You don’t have to be scared of him,” he said. “He’s just angry.”

I managed to raise my eyes to look at the enforcer, and he must have seen the doubt on my face, because his lips twisted in a humourless smile.

“Okay, anger can be scary. Especially for someone without a wolf. He’ll calm down. You just, well, you touched on a nerve.”

Snorting, I took a tentative step and was relieved my legs didn’t collapse our from under me. It was very obvious I touched a nerve. Except, it hadn’t even been my idea or because of me. He seemed to think I was the one who drugged them, but I couldn’t figure out how to say those words. At least, no without being sick all over his shoes.

“I’m Terrin, Brennan’s enforcer. He’ll probably have me riding with you most of the way.” He was quiet for a moment. “Are you alright? You seem like you’re about to fall over, and I haven’t known even Brennan to be scary enough to make someone faint on a single glare.”

I stiffened, and forced myself to move away from him. The last thing I needed was for him to think I needed help. Alpha Black — Brennan — already thought I was useless. I didn’t need to reinforce that on the first day. So, I took another shaking step on my own, forcing myself to concentrate on where the next step was going to go instead of the increased pounding in my head and the twisting of my stomach.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, trying to ignore how much of a lie that actually was.

Terrin was still looking at me. Staring, really.

I couldn’t tell if the look was assessing, or if he was thinking that same things as my husband. Thinking I was as useless as my brother declared me to be. But, I kept walking, trying not to thinking about how I was going to sit on a horse and ride when it felt like I was going to pass out at any moment. If I did, I would confirm everything my new husband thought of me, and I was determined not to do that. I had to make it through this if it was the last thing I did.